Rough Cut RacingPower Boats

Series: Honda Formula
Four Stroke Power boat series
6 races per season.

Vehicle: 27ft Cougar
Marine Sport Racer

Driver: Ian Brusby

Co-Driver: Jem Moores

Team Liasion: Steve Turner

Team Location: Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Current Sponsors: ZeroEight

Introduction to Rough Cut Racing by Neil
Brusby

On top of my day job in transport management, I am
the team and commercial manager for RoughcutRacing.com.
We are a funded race team who are currently competing in the British
Championships of the Honda Formula Four Stroke Power boat series. We
own a 27ft Cougar Marine Sport Racer and race under the colours and title
of ZeroEight, ZeroEight being a product of our main sponsor, a Swiss
financial investment organisation.
The HF4S series was developed by Honda ten years ago to prove the worth
of their engine, all the boats are the same and the engines too, so the
skill is in the preparation of the boat and the driver's ability. There
are five weekend race meetings during the season, of which we have just
had the first, and twenty boats in each class of racing, (150 and 225).
Two years ago, Ian Brusby, the driver, saw the sport on TV and thought
it would be something he would like to get involved in. Two years and
a lot of hard work later we have embarked upon our maiden season of racing.

The purpose of this web page is to promote our team
to potential sponsors interested in using our race boat for their own
promotional opportunities. We are not contractually obligated to our
main sponsor as exclusive, with the exception of the branding name ZeroEight.
We are always looking for further financial backing and support, we exist
only by the backing of our sponsors and as such we look upon the race
boat essentially as a mobile billboard. There are over two hundred thousand
people who attend the series throughout the year and a further two million
plus that watch the TV coverage on ITV4 and Sky Sports. It is one of
the fastest growing race series in Britain at this time. It also helps
that the F4sa is led by eight times powerboat world champion Steve Curtis,
his experience and expertise brings in a level of professionalism that
is envied by many a race series. In return for any sponsorship secured
RoughcutRacing.com tailor individual packages to suit, including VIP
hospitality weekends and promotional events undertaken with the race
team. Essentially, when the boat isn't being prepped or racing we allow
sponsors to use it in whatever way they feel appropriate for their business.
This may be for their own corporate days to incentivise staff or just
to have as a focal point on their premises for customer's interest, it
may even be used for chosen charity fundraisers. The possibilities are
only limited by their own restrictions.

It may be that after discussion you feel it is not
appropriate for your organisation, which is fine, what we do does not
always fit in with the marketing strategy of every business. We understand
that placing your name on something doesn't necessarily generate revenue
and has to be carefully evaluated as to whether it is financially viable
against the benefit of taking clients on racing weekends and giving them
something that they would not normally experience. With this in mind,
it is not surprising that we get more refusals than you would believe.
However having said that, if you don't know about us and we don't approach
companies, then you are not being given the opportunity to say no, it's
that simple! I am a firm believer of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I would be very happy to entertain any enquiry and
talk about our team and the race series. Furthermore, additional information
can be found at www.f4sa.com and
also the official photography site of www.keith-slater.org.uk/honda.htm.

2007 celebrated an impressive ninth season of the Honda
Formula 4-Stroke Powerboat Series, which has boasted an incredible 75
races since the Series first began on 29 May 1999 on a stormy Saturday
in Torquay. The inaugural race was made-up of five two-person crews bravely
taking to the water amidst thunder, lightning, hail and high winds. Nine
years and over 75 races later, 2007 witnessed over 36 teams racing over
five weekends, a remarkable achievement and one that demonstrates the
undeniable success of the Series which today represents the largest off-shore
powerboat race series in the world. 2008 is set to be bigger than ever
as Formula 4-Stroke is the largest power boat racing series to take to
the seas around the British Isles. For excitement that can't be beaten,
see the movie...

Rough Cut Racing is a team specifically set up to compete
in the 2008 Honda Formula 4-stroke Race Series. The team director and
pilot of the Zero Eight sponsored boat is Ian Brusby. Zero Eight is the
main profile for the boat and a product of the main team sponsor, a Hedge
fund financing company based in Switzerland.
Ian has a high pedigree in powerboating and marine sports having qualified
for his powerboating licence more than ten years ago. This then took
him around Europe, working on various water sports ventures in some rather
exotic locations. For the past six years Ian has lived in Valencia, Spain
and been involved heavily with the America's Cup, the highest profiled
and richest sail boat racing series in the world.

Ian is joined by his team co-ordinator Steve Turner
in the project. Steve is liaison for Rough Cut Racing at events, involved
in corporate hospitality, marketing and merchandising.
Neil Brusby, Ian's brother, is enrolled as commercial manager. His task
is to ensure funds and sponsorship is maximised and reaps the rewards
of investment. He has the unenviable task of taking Rough Cut Racing
to the commercial sector. Based in England, Neil is the main contact
for the business venture here in Britain whilst Ian is developing the
team profile in Europe in association with Honda and the F4SA.

Honda launched its first large-scale outboard engine
in 1999, the 4-stroke BF130. Before that it was common belief that a
4-stroke engine could not match the output of a 2-stroke. However, Honda
believed that with their 4-stroke, they had built an engine that could
more than out-do a 2-stroke so, always up for a challenge; Honda decided
that the best way to prove the performance of its new engine was simple-
they'd race it!

With the help of eight-times Class 1 World Powerboat
champion Steve Curtis, Honda set about creating a championship that would
fundamentally change powerboat racing in the UK and around the world.
With all teams competing in identical boats powered by standard Honda
engines, the Honda Formula 4-Stroke Series demands spectacular skill
and competitor competence that makes winning dependent on navigator and
driver deftness alone.

The original Honda Formula 4-stroke fleet is otherwise
almost unrecognisable. Five 130hp boats have grown into 17 upgraded 150hp
boats. The original deep-vee hull is still in evidence but on the newer
models has been remoulded to take on a more sporting appearance. And
the championship now has its own sister series for competitors to graduate
into - the 225hp class - which already boasts 16 boats.

The Basics

225 Class: This is a Cougar 27' twin stepped deep V,
the hull has been designed with racing in mind, it features Kevlar construction
and in built water ballast tank, but still has the rear bench seat to
allow the boat to be used for pleasure boating between races. A fairing
covers this seating area when the boat is being raced. The top speed
of this boat is 67 to 70mph.

In a dynamic blend of
racer and family sports boat, Cougar have kept true to the original
concept of a dual-purpose boat but perhaps with racing as her main
aim. The sports Racer is equally at home at the front of the fleet
over 70mph as she is ferrying the family to and afternoon's water
skiing and relaxation. The 27' deep V hull with twin steps offers
a superb smooth ride, sea keeping and directional stability. The
boat is specified so as to be ready to race, while providing seating
for up to 4 with the rear cowling removed.

Race Format

When the series was first started in 1999 the races
would be run with the RYA national races being organised by local clubs,
in 2002 our fleet had grown to 20+ boats so we started to run our own
stand-alone events through our powerboat club F4SA, this gave us much
better control on how the races were run and ensured we could obtain
maximum exposure for our sponsor Honda and the competitors.
Our championship season is held over five weekends; each weekend has
four races, two races per class. The Saturday races are normally half
hour duration and the Sunday races are increased to three quarters of
an hour plus.
The courses that we have are normally about 4 to 6 nautical miles in
lap length, with one longer lap that has to be completed. Keeping the
course size to a minimum allows us to run the races in areas that the
public can easily view, whilst keeping it easier for us to film and control.
The following points are awarded for each race;

Rough Cut Racing are in the process of inviting investment
from the commercial sector. The benefits are too numerous to list but
any financial investment sponsorship is tax deductible, it comes under
marketing and advertising. The average crowd at a racing event is 25-30,000
people. The Lowestoft weekend this year is being done in co-ordination
with the Lowestoft Airshow again which last year saw a staggering 98000
attendees over the weekend! Over the season a total of 175-200,000 spectators
get to see the racing series. These people come from all walks of life
but the mainstay of the appeal is amongst the 35 years plus age group.
The successful businessman and senior managers of companies, settled
in their lifestyle with a nice family and disposable income, the target
market for any worthwhile, high aspirational commodities company.

TV coverage for the series is growing year by year.
It started off as a minor channel sport but is now carried by ITV 4 who
have even sponsored a boat in previous seasons. The TV rights are sold
throughout the world to both terrestrial and satellite channels. The
marketing revenue from this alone is staggering with advertising value
being in the region of £2M. The figures speak for themselves.
The added extra from Rough Cut Racing sponsorship is that they have been
chosen by the F4SA to be the subject of a marketing documentary, listing
the highs and lows, ups and downs of a new team in the pit. A film crew
from Dreamteam TV is planned to follow Rough Cut Racing and their exploits
for the full season. This will be then edited into a documentary for
Honda and the F4SA to market the racing series. The exposure this will
bring for the team and its sponsors will be worldwide, a price for which
could not even be guessed at. Currently, exposure is to over 2,000,000
people but with the documentary for Dream Team this could double.

The overall media value of terrestrial and
satellite broadcasting in the UK is:£2,414,772

The whole set up is supported by the F4SA who role into
town for the weekend. They support all the teams with a full service
crew of mechanics for spares and breakdowns and have experts on hand
to discuss anything that the public may be interested in. They have a
full corporate hospitality venue for the use of the all teams to entertain
their guests and sponsors, enhancing the whole experience of racing.
Because of the nature of the events it allows a closeness to the sport
that is unprecedented. Nowhere else can you experience the thrill and
excitement associated with being part of a racing team first hand as
you can in Formula 4-Stroke. In return for sponsorship, Rough Cut Racing
will be your invitation to join this exciting and thrilling world.

Rough Cut Racing offer packages for Corporate sponsorship
that include being our guests at race meetings as part of Honda Hospitality.
It's a great way of motivating your staff, the prize of a weekend of
thrills and excitement. Seats are offered in the boat during testing
and time trials at the events. The team will come to you whenever you
have corporate open evenings, all as part of your marketing and merchandising
profile. During the close season the boat will be made available for
display purposes in showrooms to raise company profile and interest.
There are over 150 boat shows throughout Europe in a year of which Rough
Cut Racing will attend the premier and most prestigious. Visits to these
shows as a corporate sponsor can all be included in a sponsorship deal,
helping to raise your own profile through association with the Honda
series.
The opportunities for marketing your product through your association
with Rough Cut Racing and the new avenues it opens are endless. It is
impossible to put a financial figure on the benefits that could be...

Contact Rough
Cut Racing
If you are interested in sponsoring us, please send us an e-mail